The Fast-Casual Shift

Photo Credit: QSRMagazine.com

While the entire restaurant industry has fared well in 2012, growth in the limited-service sector has outpaced full-service concepts, leading several of the latter to experiment with fast-casual concepts.

In August, Shoney’s launched its first Shoney’s On the Go in Houston; full-service Mexican concept Abuelo’s, meanwhile, will debut the fast-casual Abuelo’s Taqueria in Lubbock, Texas, this month.

At the end of July, Café Enterprises, parent company of FATZ, launched its own limited-service concept, Tablefields Market Kitchen, in Greenville, South Carolina. “It’s something we’ve been looking into for quite some time now, honestly,” says Stephen Loftis, vice president of marketing for Café Enterprises. “We feel it’s a growth vehicle, the fast-casual segment. It targets the Millennials and future generations.” Read More